Month: July 2012

For all you who love ancient naval warfare, I have completed a free set of rules entitled Empires at Sea. You can download the rules for free from the WAB Forum website. I want to thank everyone who helped with the play-testing. All feedback is appreciated, but please include comments/discussion whenever possible.

The Friday gaming group in Tacoma, known as the Truants, met today in order to get in a game of Sword and the Flame. I have played with the rule set before and have mixed emotions of some of it’s mechanics, but I put my normal criticisms aside and played the game. I commanded 3 companies of the doomed British at the Battle of Isandlwana. I have put some photos below, mostly of the action on my side of the table as the game had 3 playing the Zulus and another 4 playing the British Forces commanded by Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pulleine. Having previously read about the battle, I have always wanted to know why the British force Commander, Lord Chelmsford, refused to send aid when it was first requested (other than he was an idiot).

The Guys before the Battle.

Initial set up of the armies(my side).

In the initial turns of the game, I was very proud of my troops, who defiantly held against the endless Zulu horde (no really, any destroyed units come back on the next turn).

Dean M. positions the Zulus for the attack.

My companies deliver very accurate rifle fire and drive wave after wave of the Zulu back. Joe is not very happy, but time and numbers are on his side!

Unlike the historical battle, my troops performed well and destroyed many of the Zulu, in defiance to history, I did not allow Captain Reginald Younghusband to retire to the base of the mountain and make a valiant last stand. I keep my three companies together in order to volley fire into the charging Zulu.

Great unit cards were provided with pictures of the actual commanders.

While my flank holds, the center of the line begins to fail.

Well history can not be undone, despite my best efforts and forming 2 of my companies into a defensive Square, the British positions crumbled. I took the moral victory that my three small(ish) line companies, destroyed 12-13 Zulu units.

The British line falters, I form a square with my remaining 2 companies. Hold the Line!

The end is near, the remnants of the defensive square is charged by even more Zulus. Most are dead by the time they charge, but attrition wins out!

This was a great game! I had a blast. I might even pull out my dog-eared copy of the Sword and the Flame sometime in the future. I must admit that the NHMGS group down in Tacoma (at the Game Matrix) are a great group of guys to play a game with. I want to thank Mark Waddington for running the game and his son Joe (for running the majority of the Zulu force(s) opposing me on our side of the table).

After working a lot on the Napoleon supplement, which is still work-in-progress, the next project we start to work on is themed on Sengoku jidai 1467-1600, samurai warfare

Layout will be similar to “Napoleon”, historical text taken from wikipedia, the main army list is from “pilije” (the one he posted here in the section, with the allowance from him to let us use it), seperate sengoku daimyo lists for ~10 clans plus a character/campaign system.

All in an early stage, just 50 pages done but because its completely different to the Napoleon book it makes a lot of fun to work on it. As soon as we have a 0.1 version worth to be uploaded I will add it here.

Olaf is known as Leondegrande on the WAB Forums. The Napoleonic WAB rules were very good and comprehensive. I can’t wait to see this one when its done.